Italian Government Scholarships

Call for applications

Academic Year 2014/2015
Introduction
The Italian Government awards scholarships for studying in Italy both to foreign citizens and Italian
citizens resident abroad (IRE). The list of the countries whose citizens and IRE may apply can be seen
on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs webpage
http://www.esteri.it/MAE/EN/Ministero/Servizi/Stranieri/Opportunita/BorseStudio_stranieri.htm?LAN
G=EN
Scholarships can be awarded only for study/ research projects at institutions within the Italian public
education and research system (state universities and research centres or legally accredited private
institutions), following the approval of a selection committee.
It is NOT possible to apply for study/ research projects at foreign institutions (such as universities,
libraries, schools and the like) even if they operate in Italy.
The only exceptions are for Scholarships awarded for designated Special Projects. Please check the
dedicated section on the Ministry website.

1. Scholarships duration and time frame

It is only possible to apply for three, six, or nine month scholarships. Exceptions can be made for
courses for teachers of Italian language (see below at 3H).
Time frame: January 1st December 31 2015.

2. Number of Scholarships offered

Specific information is provided by the Italian Embassy or Italian Cultural Institute in the applicants
country of citizenship. Please check the websites of these institutions for more country-specific
information.

3. Scholarships are available for:

A. University degree courses (Undergraduate and Postgraduate): candidates must have got
an academic qualification allowing them, in their country, to register for the same level
university course they are applying for in Italy. The relevant certification must be provided
in due time, jointly with a Dichiarazione di valore, that is a document issued by the relevant
Italian Embassy or Consulate assessing what a given school or academic degree is worth of
in Italian terms of reference. Generally, for an undergraduate course a high school degree is
required; for a postgraduate course a BA or equivalent is needed. At the end of the course
attended the scholarship-holder will have to sit the required exams.
B. Advanced vocational training, art and music courses: candidates must have got an
academic qualification allowing them, in their country, to register for the same level course
they are applying for in Italy. The relevant certification must be provided in due time, jointly
with a Dichiarazione di valore, that is a document issued by the relevant Italian Embassy or
Consulate assessing what a given school or academic degree is worth of in Italian terms of

Bando inglese 01/04/2014

reference. A letter of pre-acceptance from the chosen Italian institution is recommended. The
programme must be at least of six months. At the end of the course attended the scholarshipholder will have to sit the required exams.
C. Masters Degree courses (Levels I or II): candidates must have got an academic
qualification allowing them, in their country, to register for the same level course they are
applying for in Italy. The relevant certification must be provided in due time, jointly with a
Dichiarazione di valore, that is a document issued by the relevant Italian Embassy or
Consulate assessing what a given school or academic degree is worth of in Italian terms of
reference.
The programme must be at least of six months. There is no exemption from Masters
enrolment fees. If the course requires a period of study outside of Italy, the payment of the
scholarship will be suspended during that period. Given that admittance to Masters courses
is often on a selection basis, and courses require a minimum number of participants to be
held, it is the applicants responsibility to be informed about their admittance to the course
and its actual starting date.
The period of study covered by the scholarships must be completed by December 31st 2015.
At the end of the course attended the scholarship-holder will have to sit the required exams.
D. Ph.D. Courses: since admission to ph.d. courses in Italy is regulated by strict provisions
issued by universities, beside the requirements listed in the previous point for the Masters
courses, candidates are required to previously contact the university/ universities of their
choice in order to comply with the given requirements.
E. Specialisation Schools: the programme must be at least of six months. No scholarship can
be awarded to study at any kind of medical specialisation school. The same rules as for
Ph.D. courses apply (see above at point D). At the end of the course attended the
scholarship-holder will have to sit the required exams.
F. Research under academic supervision: the research project must be carried out within the
Italian public education and research system, including public museums and archives, and
institutions as CNR (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche) and ISS (Istituto Superiore di
Sanit). The programme must be at least of six months. A summary of the research project
and the details of two presentation letters must be recorded in the online application. The
whole research project and the two presentation letters must then be submitted to the
selection committee upon request.
G. Courses on Italian language and culture: scholarship can be awarded to students attending
an Italian language and culture university course. Applicants have to be enrolled at least at
the second year. The knowledge of the Italian language at B1 Level is required. The
programme must be at least of three months.
H. Courses for teachers of Italian as second language: applicants must be teachers of Italian
as second language with documented experience.
Please note: No free research project (i.e.: outside an academic framework) and no single university
course are eligible to get a scholarship. Furthermore, in each country the Italian Embassy can limit the
selection of the scholarships to some of the above listed items.
2

Bando inglese 01/04/2014

4. Requirements
A. Educational qualification required by the chosen institution.
B. Knowledge of Italian Language: applicants will need a certificate of intermediate level Italian
(e.g. CILS B2, CELI 3, PLIDA B2 or INT.IT Roma Tre) or equivalent linguistic competence
issued by a local organization or language school (e.g. Italian Cultural Institute, Dante Alighieri
Society branch etc.). Applicants for enrolment in advanced vocational training, art and music
courses or University courses held entirely in English, must have at least an A2 level of
competence.

C. Age limits: applicants who are under age (younger than 18) or older than 35 on the day of the
deadline for the submission of the applications (see below) are not eligible. Their applications
will not be considered. Teachers of Italian as second language (see above, point 3H) are
eligible until they are 45 y.o. (on the day of the deadline for the submission of the applications).

D. Restrictions: students who are not complying with university prescriptions (e.g. who have not
passed the due exams) are not eligible for a scholarship.

5. Application
A. How to apply
All applicants must fill in the on-line application form at Borse on Line.
http://borseonline.esteri.it
Please read carefully the instructions on the website.

B. Deadline
Application forms must be submitted on-line by 12:00 am (Italian time) on Wednesday, May
28th 2014. Applicants will be notified via email of the reception of their application.

6. Scholarships renewal
A scholarship holder may apply for a renewal to continue or complete a multi-year course. Procedures
and time frames are the same as for new applicants (see above). Upon discretion of the selection
committee and given the availability of funding, a renewal can be considered in case the applicant has
passed all the exams required in the previous year.
7. Selection Committee
In each country the Italian Embassy appoints a selection committee, in which representatives of local
authorities, academic and cultural institutions, and Italian residents associations can be included.

8. Duties and responsibilities of Scholarships-holders in Italy

Scholarship-holders must abide by the rules and regulations specified in the Memorandum for
scholarship-holders (Regolamento del Borsista) which can be downloaded from the following link,
where all other useful documentation can be found:
http://www.esteri.it/MAE/EN/Ministero/Servizi/Stranieri/Opportunita/Promemoria_Borsista.htm?LANG=EN

Scholarship holders not complying with these rules and regulations will lose any right on the
scholarship.

Bando inglese 01/04/2014

All scholarship-holders must arrive in Italy with an entry visa for study purposes issued by the Italian
diplomatic mission in their country of residence, and valid for the entire duration of the scholarship.
Exemptions from visa requirements include European Union citizens and the citizens of countries with
which Italy has bilateral agreements on such matters.

9. Payments
Payment of allowances will take place on a three-month basis via bank transfer to an Italian bank or
postal account under the name of the scholarship holder, who is the sole responsible for opening the
account and communicating its details to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome. Please check the
details in the Memorandum for scholarship-holders (see above point 8). Please note that, due to
technical reasons, the first instalment will not be paid before April 2015 (with the exception of students
enrolled in Universities which have signed a special agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, see
below point 10).
All the scholarships awarded for the period January September 2015 which have not been paid during
this time frame because of reasons outside of the Ministry responsibility (e.g. missing documentation),
will be no longer valid. They cannot be paid after October 1st for any reason.
As for students attending a ph.d. course or doing research under academic supervision, their allowances
will be paid upon condition that their supervisor submit an evaluation letter to the office DGSP VII of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs upon request.

10. Agreements between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and some Universities
For the academic year 2014-2015, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has signed agreements with the
following Italian Universities:
Politecnico di Milano
Politecnico di Torino
Universit Ca Foscari di Venezia
Universit Bocconi
Universit degli studi di Torino
Universit degli studi di Milano
Universit degli studi di Roma Tor Vergata
Universit per stranieri di Perugia
Universit per stranieri di Siena
Universit per stranieri Dante Alighieri di Reggio Calabria
Agreements are also being finalized with Universit La Sapienza di Roma, Universit Roma Tre and
Universit di Bologna.
Thanks to these agreements, the above mentioned universities will pay the scholarship holders directly
through a shortened and simplified procedure.

11. Health and accident insurance

For the sole period of the scholarships granted by the Italian Government, the scholarship -holders are
covered by an insurance policy against illness and/or accident. Check the details in the Memorandum
for Scholarship-holders (see above point 8).